Sisters. It’s a bond no one can break. Even from the beginning, they know they are connected for life. If you have a sister, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Dec
10
When my skin is feeling a little tired, I love doing this homemade pumpkin mask. I feel glowy and fresh, not to mention smell yummy! If you want to see a list of ingredients and how to make the mask, head over to the Little Skye Blog where I’m guest posting today!
It stormed all last weekend, so I ended up doing newborn shoots Saturday and Sunday, all cozied up in my clients’ homes. This session happened on Sunday in the afternoon and as we were running out of light and the boys were still napping, these wonderful sibling moments just landed in my lap. Mom and dad woke up the boys, I got my settings dialed in on the camera, lined up my little ‘bribes’ and toys and all the stars aligned. What a gift
Are you in full-on holiday mode yet? We are having Brent’s staff party tonight and last night we hosted the college group for a party. My house is decorated and I’m loving enjoying every single activity this month! Modern Parents Messy Kids is featuring my tutorial on how to make these holiday bulb garlands. I love the fresh and modern look as a change from greenery!
Dads have such a great bond with their kids. It changes a guy when he becomes a dad. And I love capturing that connection. I used to be intimidated when photographing guys. It’s weird, I know. But, I just felt the sense that sometimes they weren’t pumped about being in front of the camera. But, let’s face it, most people aren’t extremely comfortable in front of the camera.
Instead of letting the situation turn awkward, the first thing I do is acknowledge the feeling and move on. I might say something like, I bet this isn’t on the top of your list of ‘things to do on a Saturday afternoon.’ It gets a laugh and then they know I don’t expect them to be a model. Just relax and have fun.
I also constantly keep the focus on the kids. Instead of trying to pose someone, I’ll help create a moment. Asking what they do at home when they are just goofing around usually results in throwing the baby or kid up in the air! Sometimes I’ll tell the kids that when I count to 3 their dad is going to tickle them. And if it’s more of a serious child or an older child I will just tell the child to be sweet with their dad or to cuddle with their dad.
Thanks for letting me share how I photograph dads and hope it helps if you are sometimes intimidated like me!
Formula for success: Rise early, work hard, strike oil.
-J. Paul Getty
There’s a million quotes about working hard in business. But, I think parents provide the best example of working hard for their kids. My grandpa was a horse shoer and made his own business. On top of that he delivered papers in the early morning. He had his boys on bikes slinging papers from the time they were in first grade. My dad also went on to start his own business. When the economy was terrible, he made it. He kept working hard and didn’t quit when things weren’t easy. Even if that meant working for a boss during the day and starting up his own business in the evenings.
I was raised to be a hard-worker. It’s one the things I appreciate most about my heritage. I’ve had tons of wonderful opportunities with photography and most of them came from rising early and working hard. Sometimes, you have to be in the right place at the right time, but you have to put in the hard work to get there.
My kids are still young, but I hope that the subtle ways I learned about hard work are passed down to them. How about you, do you love to work hard? How do you teach your kids about work?
By the way, this is a photo of my grandpa. One of my favorites.
And here’s the product of some of my hard work recently! (photos taken in Long Beach)
Oh, where to begin? I’ve been a little neglectful of this space. As per usual for this time of year. I got overwhelmed when it came to what to share, so I decided to just close my eyes and pick a folder to share. These were taken in Laguna on a beautiful summer, I mean fall day. But, I think all my photo sessions this year were spent in warm weather. Meaning, everyone that’s wearing a sweater in their photo is hot, uncomfortably hot. 🙂
In other news, I just got an email from an editor at The Bump. My photographs of Erica’s nursery have been featured on iVillage. So fun to see!
This is the kind of cake that you make when company is coming and you have NOTHING fancy in your cupboard. The simple ingredients create a rustic cake that is elevated with a rich, almost carmel-tasting brown sugar frosting. This is a childhood recipe that my mom used to make. She was always good at whipping stuff up. And, confession: we had dessert after dinner almost every night. That explains two things- my sweet tooth and the fact that I’ll never be a size 0. I love dessert!
If you really want to get crazy, serve this with ice cream. Vanilla is best, of course. Although I made this half-recipe on the fly. For blogging purposes, of course, and it was a perfectly acceptable after school snack.
Oatmeal Cake
(recipe from my mom)
1 cup oats
1 1/2 cups boiling water
Soak oats in boiling water for 15 minutes. Set aside.
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (original recipe called for shortening and I changed it to butter)
Cream the sugars and butter. Mix in 2 eggs. Then add in oatmeal mixture.
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Sift dry ingredients and add them in. Place in a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry from the center.
Let the cake cool and then frost.
Brown Sugar Frosting
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 T. cream or milk
4 T. butter
Bring all 3 ingredients to a boil in a small sauce pan. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Whisk together and add in 1 t. vanilla.
(My photos show a half recipe, but if you follow this recipe, make it in the 9×13 pan and it will serve 12-15 depending on how much cake you like to eat in one serving!)
Here are a few favorites from my recent photo shoot at Rascals to Rebels in Rossmoor for Halloween!
Nov
07
I keep feeling like the holiday rush is over. And then…it’s not! So, thank you. Thank you for calling me. Again and again and again. You are keeping me busy and I love it! But, unfortunately, the blog gets a little neglected. Because clients come before fun blog posts!
I have a spare moment before the weekend comes and my computer starts getting bogged down with RAW images. So, I wanted to share a guest post I wrote over on Modern Parents Messy Kids. I photographed my friend Allyson’s home. She writes for Day to Day Wonderments and has some amazing DIY projects. This time she made her own wallpaper. You heard me right. Renters rejoice! You can make wallpaper and apparently it’s easy!
So, click here and read more!
